How can you tell if a stone is real or not?

Natural gems are beautiful in their external parameters. Surely you know that many natural stones are imitated, that is, real copies are created in their likeness. These stones are not real, but they are often passed off as originals and sold at the price of real natural stones. How to quickly determine the naturalness of a mineral? What to look for when buying gems for your works? Let’s figure it out. What stones are most often imitated? Turquoise is the first stone that can very often be imitated. A fake mineral is created by gluing powder particles together. Turquoise is considered a semi-precious mineral and is symbolized as happiness and good luck. The practice of imitation minerals began in Ancient Egypt. Today it is easy to recognize a fake. It is enough to immerse a real natural stone in water. The mineral will quickly absorb moisture and change its color. Pearl is a gem that can be called semi-precious. Natural has a rough surface and sandy texture. However, if you come across even, smooth pearl beads in online stores, you should not be convinced that they are unnatural. To find out if a pearl bead is truly natural, you need to run it over the surface of your teeth. If at this time you hear a sound similar to a creaking, then the beads are made of natural stone. Other characteristic features indicating the naturalness of pearl beads:

• Lasting durability. When hitting a hard surface, the bead will not crack or split;
• “Jump” effect. If a bead made of real pearls is thrown on the floor, it will bounce up, which cannot be said about a fake;
• Stone temperature. Real pearls will always be cool to the touch. The fake is always at room temperature.

Moonstone is a popular material from which beautiful transparent beads are made. A gem is characterized not only by transparency and translucency. Natural moonstone has bubbles and cracks inside. Beads made from real moonstone can have bluish, grayish, and even yellowish shades. If you look closely at the crystal, you will notice a pearlescent shimmer.

Lava is a volcanic stone that is used to make Pandora beads and regular round beads for crafts. The black or white colors of the mineral fit perfectly into high-quality designer unique jewelry. Jewelry with lava beads looks expensive and unusual.

The naturalness of lava beads can be determined by the following criteria:

• Dark gray color;
• Always cold, even when brought to the mouth (lips), does not heat up;
• High density and hardness (does not crack upon impact and does not chip off when the stone is exposed to a sharp object).

How to imitate stones using glass

In our online store you can find natural stones processed in the form of cabochons and beads. If we have an imitation of natural stone on sale, this must be indicated in the product description. You can encounter deception if you do not understand minerals and gems. Even if you buy beads made from natural stones for needlework, and not the stones themselves, it is worth understanding the naturalness of the products.

Most natural minerals are counterfeited using glass. Ordinary glass is taken and painted in the desired color corresponding to the simulated stone. If you take into account stones such as amethyst, garnet or other transparent minerals, it is very difficult to visually distinguish a fake. Again, you need to focus on sensations. Natural stones always have a temperature below room temperature. If a glass bead (imitation stone) breaks, you can cut yourself on the edges. This will not happen with natural stones. You can touch the sharp edges of the stone without risking injury.

It is difficult to assess the naturalness of a gem based only on its external parameters. If you buy custom-made stone beads online, then pay attention to the quality of the product after delivery. Use our tips above and learn all about custom-purchased stones.

Many jewelry today are made not from natural stones, but from high-quality fakes. Agate, moonstone, amber, pearls and other natural gifts are at the peak of popularity today. They are framed with gold or silver, simple or semi-precious metal, playing with value: from exclusive expensive jewelry to stylish jewelry.

Agree that you don’t want to overpay for imitation natural stone. Moreover, when you are counting on a real stone, but it turns out that the agate is a fake, we’ll tell you right now how to distinguish them and not get into trouble.

What is natural agate and what does it look like?

Agate is a layered variety of chalcedony. The stone is characterized by a huge number of shades, varieties of patterns and smooth transitions. However, most often agate has a gray-blue color and its tones.

The shade and quality of the stone depends on the place of extraction: in Russia, Brazil, China, India and other countries. In any case, agate is used for jewelry, interior details, crafts and souvenirs.

Speaking of fakes, they may not bother about their quality; they are made from resin, plastic, and even usually plastic. Fake stones may appear bright and beautiful, but in reality they have nothing to do with jewelry. Artificial samples are made from stone chips, but the synthetic version is made from plastic or glass.

Natural stones include:

• tinted agates, which are treated with special chemicals to enhance the natural shade;
• black and dark brown agate is kept in sugar syrup and treated with sulfuric acid.

In any case, each of the stones is covered in legends, myths and magic. Agate is generally considered a magical stone, since it was used by ancient magicians for fortune telling, divination and protection.

How to distinguish a genuine agate from a fake?

Since agate is often used as a talisman and amulet, it is important to find a natural stone without falling for a fake.

• The color of the agate mineral differs from the stone that is obtained after processing. Therefore, when choosing a product from the catalog, pay attention to the final shade of the finished work.
• Contrast and the presence of transitions from light to dark shades indicate the artificial nature of the stone.
• Glossy black or other bright shades unnatural for nature, such as light green, bright blue or purple, indicate a fake.
• A monochromatic color, the absence of stripes, stains and lines also indicates the unnatural origin of the stone.
• When broken, real agate is matte, while a polished ordinary stone acquires a glassy sheen.
• Agate itself is an opaque mineral, but thin plates are visible in the light.
• The natural stone heats up slowly; when you apply it to your wrist, it will take at least 30 seconds before it becomes warm. While glass and plastic will heat up in seconds.
• Agate has a relatively high hardness, so if you run it across glass, it will leave a scratch. It is clear that a stone made from pressed chips will be fragile and will not leave any marks.
• Press the sample with a regular sewing needle; if pieces start to break off, it means this is not real agate.

In addition to poor aesthetic properties, artificial, synthetic and tinted agates can negatively affect human health. After all, no one knows how much and what chemicals were used in its production.

Beware of fakes and purchase costume jewelry and jewelry from trusted points of sale. Otherwise, require certificates of conformity. In our online store you can buy natural agate and be confident in its originality and quality.